1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvements in exercise equipment. More particularly, the invention relates to improvements particularly suited for a stretching apparatus that allows dynamic, active, and static stretching.
2. Description of the Known Art
As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, exercise and/or stretching devices are known in various forms. Patents disclosing information relevant to various aspects of exercising and stretching include: U.S. Pat. No. 5,984,845 issued to Powers on Nov. 16, 1999; U.S. Pat. No. 5,004,228 issued to Powers on Apr. 2, 1991; U.S. Pat. No. 9,017,235, issued to Khademi on Apr. 28, 2015; U.S. Pat. No. 8,961,376 issued to Sweeney, et al. on Feb. 24, 2015; U.S. Pat. No. 8,944,976 issued to Crowell, et al. on Feb. 3, 2015; U.S. Pat. No. 8,864,637, issued to Leirer on Oct. 21, 2014; U.S. Pat. No. 8,821,359 issued to Kassel on Sep. 2, 2014; U.S. Pat. No. 8,814,762 issued to Butler, et al. on Aug. 26, 2014; U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,062 issued to Lawrence on Jul. 7, 1981; U.S. Pat. No. 8,038,584 issued to Pruessner, et al. on Oct. 18, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 7,955,236 issued to DiGiovanni, et al. on Jun. 7, 2011; U.S. Pat. No. 7,476,182 issued to DeNisco on Jan. 13, 2009; U.S. Pat. No. 7,172,534 issued to Joy, et al. on Feb. 6, 2007; U.S. Pat. No. 7,153,247 issued to Filkoff on Dec. 26, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 7,014,602 issued to Yamauchi on Mar. 21, 2006; U.S. Pat. No. 6,840,894 issued to Lerner on Jan. 11, 2005; U.S. Pat. No. 6,450,930 issued to Kroke on Sep. 17, 2002; U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,680 issued to Johnston on Jan. 11, 1994; U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,936 issued to Muller on Apr. 11, 1989; U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,186 issued to Calabrese on May 13, 1986; U.S. Pat. No. 4,456,247 issued to Ehrenfried on Jun. 26, 1984; U.S. Pat. No. 4,177,542 issued to Denney on Dec. 11, 1979; U.S. Pat. No. 3,925,901 issued to McCormick on Dec. 16, 1975; U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,119 issued to Davis on Oct. 22, 1974; U.S. Pat. No. 3,369,809 issued to Morrill, Jr. on Feb. 20, 1968; U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,614, issued to Berry on Jan. 28, 1964; U.S. Pat. No. 324,498, issued to Surbaugh on Aug. 18, 1885; and United States Patent Application 20140329650 filed by Watry on Nov. 6, 2014. Each of these patents and publications is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.
In addition to the prior art patents cited above, it is important to understand a little additional background information. Athletic trainers, coaches, athletes, fitness enthusiast, and personal trainers all recommend stretching to help performance, reduce injuries, and increase range of motion for flexibility. It is important to keep flexible for good health, athletic performance, and to help reduce injuries.
Body stretching is a broad term and it is important to define the specific types of stretching as it will become important as it relates to the present invention. Static stretching means holding a stretch in a challenging but comfortable position for a period of time, usually between 10 and 30 seconds. It is considered safe and more effective at the end of the activity. Dynamic Stretching are active movements, challenging but comfortable, through a range of motion repeatedly, usually 10 repetitions, that bring forth a stretch but are not held in the end position. Dynamic stretching requires more thoughtful coordination than static stretching. It is gaining more favor among athletes and coaches because of the apparent benefits improving functional range of motion in sports and activities. Active stretching means you are stretching a muscle by actively contracting the opposite muscle to the one that you are stretching. An example would be contracting the quadriceps muscle while stretching the hamstring muscle. Passive Stretching means you are using some sort of outside assistance to achieve a stretch, usually another person such as an athletic trainer.
For several years it was thought that static stretching was the safest and best way to stretch before and after exercise for sporting events. In recent years, the NBA, NFL, Track and Field and other sports have changed to dynamic stretching prior to the sporting event because it is more effective as a warm up procedure to prepare the muscles for activity and use Static stretching at the end of the workout as part of the cool down phase of training. The present invention is designed to accommodate both dynamic and static stretching in one portable apparatus.
From these prior references and information it may be seen that the prior art is very limited in its teaching and utilization, and an improved dynamic body stretching apparatus is needed to overcome these limitations.